ProlepsisOpen in the graph →

Prophecy

Rachel weeps for her children; “I called my son out of Egypt” (Jeremiah 31:15; Hosea 11:1)

The Flight into Egypt, artist’s impression by Giotto (around 1304-1306, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua), an account in which Matthew quotes Hos 11:1.
Artist’s impression The Flight into Egypt, artist’s impression by Giotto (around 1304-1306, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua), an account in which Matthew quotes Hos 11:1. — Giotto di Bondone, Wikimedia Commons · Domaine public

● Written before, according to historians

Written c. 587–586 BC according to tradition; c. 587–500 BC according to historians. Event: c. 6–4 BC.

See the full entry: sources, objections, answers

In short

The announcement. The prophet Jeremiah, around 587–586 BC, describes Rachel, an ancestor of Israel, weeping for her children in Ramah. The prophet Hosea, around 750–725 BC, has God say: “I called my son out of Egypt”.

What happened. The Gospel of Matthew applies these texts to Jesus's childhood, around 6–4 BC: his family's flight into Egypt and Herod's massacre of the children of Bethlehem. No witness of the time confirms this massacre, and the Gospel of Luke does not mention the flight into Egypt.

What is still debated. both texts speak of Israel's history, the exodus from Egypt and the deportees of 586 BC, and their application to Jesus is a connection made deliberately by Matthew rather than a prediction.

Why it is striking

What is striking is the method, openly embraced: Matthew connects to Jesus’s childhood verses from Hosea and Jeremiah that predicted nothing. Rachel is buried near Bethlehem, hence the echo. It is a Christian reading, and the massacre of the children has no witness from the time.

Main objection (in French for now)

Os 11:1 parle explicitement d’Israël : « Quand Israël était jeune, je l’aimais, et j’appelai mon fils hors d’Égypte » ; le verset suivant reproche à ce « fils » d’avoir sacrifié aux Baals (Os 11:2). Rashi le lit d’Israël appelé par les prophètes.

The text (World English Bible)

The LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Jer 31:15

“When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Hos 11:1

Sources